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NetScout Systems (NTCT) in Focus: Stock Moves 5.5% Higher

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NetScout Systems, Inc. NTCT was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise nearly 6% on the day. The move came on solid volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This stock, which remained volatile and traded within the range of $26.33 –$27.95 in the past one-month time frame, witnessed a sharp increase yesterday.

The company has seen one negative estimate revisions in the past few weeks, while its Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has also moved lower over the past few weeks, suggesting there may be trouble down the road. So make sure to keep an eye on this stock going forward, to see if this recent move higher can last.

NetScout Systems currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while its Earnings ESP is positive.

NetScout Systems, Inc. Price

NetScout Systems, Inc. Price | NetScout Systems, Inc. Quote

A better-ranked stock in the Computer and Technology sector is Cisco Systems, Inc. CSCO, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Foods Co., a unit of Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., will no longer accept payment from customers using credit cards issued by Visa, the largest credit card company in the U.S. The ban on Visa credit cards – but not debit cards – was set to go into effect Tuesday. The grocery store chain announced the policy change last week, saying it was due to Visa’s interchange rates, which merchants pay to banks whenever a customer uses a corresponding card at the store.

The FBI just warned banks that their customers’ accounts could be targeted by a worldwide ATM hacking scheme. The attack, known as an “ATM cash-out” or “unlimited operation,” is expected in the coming days, and will likely take place on a weekend or after banks have closed, according to information obtained by the FBI. The warning was issued only to banks, not the general public, but was publicized by Brian Krebs on his cybersecurity blog, Krebs on Security.

More than a few times within the past couple of years I’ve made the point that Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) isn’t a carbon copy of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), even though the two are frequently compared. Current and would-be owners of BABA stock are looking for an idea of how to weigh the unusual company, and the similarities are undeniable. Largely speaking, though, Amazon is built to be the retailer rather than a middleman, often competing with its third-party sellers.

U.S. chip company Nvidia is making a bold claim that it has accomplished the greatest leap since the invention of the CUDA GPU more than a decade ago. There is positive sentiment developing around Nvidia’s (NVDA) stock. After all, Nvidia claims to be combining artificial intelligence, real-time ray tracing, simulation and rasterization.

A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has upheld that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into election meddling is legal and constitutional after a Russian company tried to stamp it out. Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed to US District Court of Washington, DC last year, ruled that Russian company Concord Management and Consulting could not have its case thrown out on the basis of constitutionality. Concord Management had claimed Mr Mueller lacked authority and his investigation violated the US Constitution because he was not appointed by the president or confirmed by the US Senate, instead Mr Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

There was an abundance of things to like when The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) reported its second-quarter financial results on Aug. 9. The company reported record revenue of $112 million, up 54% year over year, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.60, which climbed 15%. The Trade Desk identified three significant developments that it sees as catalysts for future growth.

Perhaps no blending of words applies to the pharmaceutical industry better than "frenemies" -- the combination of "friends" and "enemies." The word accurately describes the relationships of quite a few big pharma companies, including two of the biggest: AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). The first reason to buy AbbVie is its growth prospects. Wall Street expects the company to grow earnings by 16% annually on average over the next five years.

Wall Street says Ford Motor Co. must cut its dividend. The debate erupting over Ford’s quarterly payout to shareholders -- including the founding family that derives millions from the disbursements -- is exposing a growing and contentious divide over what needs to be done to fix the ailing automaker. Analysts at Morgan Stanley and Berenberg say Ford can no longer afford to pay the 15-cent dividend -- the most generous among its automotive peers -- as earnings evaporate overseas and the company initiates an $11 billion restructuring that it’s said will take as much as five years.

On the 07 September 2018, Honeywell International Inc (NYSE:HON) will be paying shareholders an upcoming dividend amount of US$0.74 per share. In addition to this, EPS should increase to $8.17, meaning that the lower payout ratio does not necessarily implicate a lower dividend payment.

(Reuters) - Wall Street's three major indexes rose on Tuesday with the S&P 500 posting its strongest gain in three weeks as a string of healthy earnings boosted investor optimism and a rebound in the Turkish lira eased contagion fears.

Update on Utilities: Performance in the Week Ending August 10
(Continued from Prior Part)
Market performance and valuation
NextEra Energy (NEE), the biggest component of the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), is one of the top-rallied stocks among

Southwest Airlines abruptly grounded 66 Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet last Wednesday after issues with the carrier’s aircraft weight records were discovered. In an internal memo to employees on the matter that was obtained by the Chicago Business Journal, Southwest said: “Today (Wednesday) we discovered the weights being sent to our Dispatch Operation did not match our other weight records for a number of aircraft in the fleet. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have stopped flying those aircraft to recalculate the weights of the aircraft in question and reset the program.” Aircraft weight is important because dispatch personnel and pilots need the correct information to determine the amount of fuel to load and other data needed to safely operate a flight.

Dividend investors love to choose stocks that not only have long track records of dividend payments but that also regularly increase the amount they pay out to their shareholders. For McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), failing to raise their dividends between now and Dec. 31 would mark the end of long streaks of dividend increases that date back in some cases for decades. McDonald's has had a lot going for it lately.

JCPenney (JCP) delivered lower-than-expected losses in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, which ended on May 5. JCPenney is scheduled to announce its fiscal second-quarter results on August 16. JCPenney’s adjusted loss per share of $0.22 in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 was disappointing compared to an adjusted EPS of $0.01 in the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

On Aug 13, President Trump gave the final nod for the colossal fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), thus sanctioning a spending allowance of $717 billion for United States’ national security. Notably, the budget proposed in February got approval from the U.S. Senate last month. The NDAA outlines $616.9 billion as Pentagon's base budget, $69 billion for overseas contingency operations funding and $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department.

A vessel carrying U.S. soybeans was unloading its cargo worth at least $23 million at the Chinese port of Dalian on Monday, becoming one of the first shipments to incur hefty new import duties as the trade row deepens between Beijing and Washington. The docking of the vessel after five weeks anchored off China's coast ended long-running speculation over the fate of the cargo, which had captured public attention. China's state grains stockpiler Sinograin confirmed in a fax to Reuters it will pay the additional 25 percent import tariff on its 70,000 tonne cargo of the oilseed.

Goldman Sachs' analyst is one of the most bearish Tesla analysts on Wall Street, with a "sell" rating and $210 price target — 40% below where shares are trading. Elon Musk hasn't been one to hide his disdain for Tesla skeptics on Wall Street.

There’s been yet another twist in AT&T’s (T) acquisition of Time Warner: the US Department of Justice (or DOJ) has appealed Judge Richard Leon’s decision to allow AT&T to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion, raising the possibility that the merger could be blocked. The appeal came after the companies faced the US DOJ’s objections for six weeks in court. The DOJ argued that the merger would hurt consumers by raising costs and minimizing competition in the pay-TV market.

In its Q2 2018 earnings conference call, Pfizer (PFE) updated its fiscal 2018 adjusted diluted earnings per share (or EPS) guidance from the previously projected range of $2.90–$3.00 to $2.95–$3.05. The midpoint of this updated EPS range implies a year-over-year (or YoY) rise of around 13%. While the company has completed share repurchases worth $6.1 billion to date in 2018, Pfizer has not factored in the impact of any additional share repurchases in its adjusted diluted EPS prediction for fiscal 2018. The company expects dilution due to share-based employee compensation to partly offset the impact of share repurchases in fiscal 2018.

Houston-based energy giant ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) reportedly plans to trim its workforce again in mid-September, according to multiple reports. The “modest” cuts are expected to primarily impact Houston and Lower 48 employees, a company spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle and Rigzone. ConocoPhillips did not respond to the Houston Business Journal’s request for more information.

Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund that oversees $150 billion in assets under management, bought $15.7 million worth of Alibaba shares during the second quarter, regulatory filings show. Alibaba is one of the stocks included in the "FAANG+BAT" basket. Bridgewater Associates, the $150 billion hedge fund founded by Ray Dalio, bought 84,629 shares of Alibaba in the second quarter, worth $15.7 million, according to regulatory documents filed Tuesday.